Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 23
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Reported cases and deaths
At least 22,725 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 737 have died as of Saturday morning, an increase of nine people from the day before, according to state and county health departments.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,107 new cases Saturday, up from 758 new cases the day before.
Officials say they have increased the number of coronavirus tests administered. The state had completed 329,582 tests as of Saturday.
At least 589 North Carolinians were hospitalized with COVID-19 Saturday, up from 568 on Friday.
Breweries, taprooms can reopen
Gov. Roy Cooper allowed breweries, taprooms and brewpubs to reopen Friday under Phase Two of his three-phased reopening plan.
Brewery owners had complained about Cooper’s decision to keep bars closed as restaurants reopened. The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild argued breweries, taprooms and brewpubs didn’t meet the executive order’s definition of “bars.”
The guild praised Cooper’s decision on Friday, saying their members are committed to reopening in a safe manner.
Some high school, rec sports to return this summer
Cooper and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday released recommendations for how non-contact sports could resume in Phase Two of the state’s re-opening plan.
The state’s guidelines are for participants in youth, college and amateur sports. DHHS listed sports such as golf, baseball, cycling, swimming, dance, tennis, disc golf, horseback riding, track, figure skating, curling, running and pickleball as activities whose participants can maintain social distancing or have brief contact with each other. But football, competitive cheer, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, wrestling, rugby and hockey don’t qualify.
“We know that contact sports, like basketball or football, where you’re in each other’s personal spaces, where you’re breathing out respiratory droplets on one another,” DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Friday, “we know that is a higher way of spreading the virus as opposed to non-contact sports like tennis, or baseball, or individual sports like swimming or golf.”
The guidelines call for closing or marking off common seating areas like dugouts or bleachers and having athletes wear face coverings when not engaged in physical activity, among other recommendations.
Charlotte gym challenges order
The owners of High Five Fitness in Charlotte plan to file a legal challenge to Cooper’s modified Phase Two reopening.
Workout facilities initially expected to reopen will now remain closed until late June.
“We just feel like it’s a blatant abuse of rights,” co-owner Rob Jenkins told the Charlotte Observer. “It’s not right for a public official to be able to shut down somebody’s way of making a living for months on end.”
Cooper sets up business safety plan
Cooper plans to train hospitality and retail workers under an initiative called “Count on Me NC,” designed to help increase consumer trust in those businesses, the News & Observer reported.
Push to expand mail-in voting
A group of bipartisan North Carolina lawmakers has sponsored a bill that calls for easing vote-by-mail requirements. The proposed legislation would allow voters to have just one witness, request ballots via email or fax and receive alerts if there are issues with tracking their ballots.
The bill would block the state’s election director from making mail-in ballots the only voting option, The News & Observer reported Friday.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, North Carolina is anticipating a spike in people deciding to vote by mail in November.
IBM job cuts
IBM, which has an office in Research Triangle Park, is expected to cut “thousands” of jobs across the United States, The News & Observer reported. The company had announced a restructuring plan earlier this year and didn’t directly make a link between the economic downturn and the decision to lay off workers.
“So far, IBM has not filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the state’s Commerce Department, something that is required for certain large layoffs,” The News & Observer reported.
In March, the number of open positions in the technology field dropped across North Carolina, and hiring was expected to continue to decline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 7:31 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 23."
